


Beneath the Waves

by bofurs_laugh



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Angst, Character Death, F/M, Gen, Historical AU, Major character death - Freeform, So much angst, World War II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-01
Updated: 2015-09-01
Packaged: 2018-04-18 10:04:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4701989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bofurs_laugh/pseuds/bofurs_laugh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry and Draco find themselves trying to survive in a raft in the Pacific ocean after their plane crashes. Vaguely WW II related though I do not specifically list any details for the war.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beneath the Waves

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
> 
> I also haven't written anything for fun in months because of grad school, so this is a bit rusty. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> This is dedicated to florencia_7 Sorry this has taken me so long to write, but I have been trying since June to get something solid written. So happy belated birthday present!

Water lapped at the side of the rubber raft rocking it gently and lulling Harry into a sense of calm. There was something he needed to remember, a duty he was supposed to be performing. The sun beat down on his face, his skin burning and peeling under its harsh glare. He tried to open his eyes but they were too dry and he was tired beyond words. Movement next to him snagged his attention and for a moment he was overwhelmed with fear before he could remember Draco. God how could he have forgotten the other man?

               “Harry,” Draco’s voice was barely audible. “We have company.” The dark haired man moved sluggishly until he could peer over the edge of the yellow raft. Without his glasses he could only see vague shapes at a distance but he knew without a doubt that the sharks had found them. It was only a matter of time really, but Harry had hoped for their sake that it could have been avoided.

               “We’re safe in here,” he mumbled as he adjusted his hold on the blond man. Draco’s injuries from their crash into the Pacific were serious and worrisome, his head wound taking the longest to heal without proper medical attention.

               “You’ll look after Hermione and Phoenix, yeah?” Draco’s words slurred together in a way that made Harry strain to hear them properly. Of course, he was dehydrated and malnourished enough that concentrating was difficult even for him and he was in a better condition.

               “There’s no need for me when you’ll see them soon enough Draco. We’ve gotten this far and I’m not giving up and neither are you.” Harry pulled Draco closer and tried to cover him with both of their shirts. Four days without rain and a couple more without food left them both terribly weak, but Harry knew the odds of survival and he planned to beat them. Death would have to fight to take him and he had more on the line than just his own life.

               “Shacklebolt was lucky,” Draco murmured. “To die in the peace of the ocean’s embrace.”

               “Tell that to his wife,” Harry hissed and regretted the words as soon as they passed his lips. He did not want to argue with Draco, especially about the death of their commanding officer. According to his estimates, they had been afloat for fifteen days without sight of any rescue plane. Harry could not blame Draco for his thoughts, but they could not afford to lose any hope in the face of such bleak circumstances. No matter what they had endured in boot camp, it could never compare to the reality of the situation. They were stuck at sea without food and water rations, most of their gear lost to the depths and surrounded by enemy islands, some of which were a mere six hundred miles away.

               “Do not sacrifice yourself to save me, no matter what stupid promise you made my wife,” Draco swallowed thickly, his voice cracking by the end. Harry closed his eyes tightly to hold back the tears threatening to escape. The ache in his chest that had been present since the moment Shacklebolt had failed to surface flared and engulfed him.

               “I can’t promise you that Draco,” Harry stated resolutely. Draco sighed and leaned further into his chest, his breathing too shallow but there was little Harry could do to relieve the pressure in the man’s lungs. It was a miracle Draco had survived this long and his illness was worsening.

               “Do you remember when you first introduced me to Hermione?” Draco coughed and Harry ignored the red dots that were now scattered across their blue uniforms.

               “We had just started our last year of school,” Harry smiled gently. “And she kept asking me about that handsome man in my mechanics class. At first I had no idea she was talking about you, but then she mentioned your platinum hair. I think every girl was obsessed with your hair Draco.” Harry paused waiting for a response from the young man, but the raft remained eerily silent. He looked down but found that Draco’s eyes were closed. Harry’s stomach dropped so fast that he almost threw up but then he could see the slow rise and fall of Draco’s chest and the tension eased a bit.

               “You can’t die on me Draco, not here in the middle of the damn Pacific ocean,” Harry pleaded. When the blond still did not respond, Harry settled in for the long wait. Draco slept for hours whenever his body failed him and he was only getting worse. His head wound had stopped bleeding a few days after their crash, but infection had set in despite Harry’s best efforts and the broken wrist had caused them some problems, which Draco assured him was nothing compared to how the rest of his body felt. All in all not a comforting thought for Harry. He closed his eyes with a mind to rest only a little, but the heat was suffocating and what little energy he had slipped from his grasp.

 

               Harry woke to something prodding his leg. He cracked open one eye relieved to see the stars sparkling above them.

               “Water,” Draco croaked. Harry winced at the rough edge of his voice.

               “We don’t have any.” The blond coughed and even in the dark Harry could see the dark stains on Draco’s white undershirt.   His chapped lips were stained red.

               “I’m sorry.” Harry sighed and took a deep breath, Draco moving with him as his chest expanded. Not once since they had crashed had he let go of the blond man because he had made a promise before they had shipped out that he would look after Draco. What a spectacular failure that had turned into.

               “You have nothing to be sorry for,” Harry chided gently. “Just rest.” Draco coughed even as he tried to muffle the sound with his shirt, but Harry could tell it was getting worse. Where before they had been dry, Draco’s coughs had become wet with the passing days and nights. With alarming clarity Harry knew he would not be able to save his brother in arms and best friend. Draco would not live to see his wife and child again.

               “Don’t let the sharks eat me.” Draco’s sudden voice startled Harry enough that he jostled the man. “I don’t want to be eaten Harry.” Not even in the direst of circumstances had Harry ever imagined this happening to him and god it hurt that it had to be Draco dying and not him.

               “I won’t let you go,” Harry was adamant. “They won’t have you.” And he meant it. If he had to he would wait for the sharks to grow tired of them before releasing Draco. The blond relaxed in his hold, his head lulling against Harry’s shoulder.

               “Thank you.” Harry bit his lip to keep himself from crying because how could Draco thank him when he had failed to protect him. His brother in every sense of the word but blood and his closest thing to family.

               “You’re my brother. It’s my duty to look after you,” Harry whispered to the stars above. It seemed that Draco had fallen back asleep despite the thirst that had awoken him. Harry held him closer to keep him warm in the chilly night air, his cheek resting atop Draco’s blond hair. Around them the ocean was quiet and calm without a breeze to stir the dark depths. Harry started to hum the tune that he often heard Draco humming while working on their planes, hoping that a familiar noise when bring relief even in sleep. It was not long before Harry felt himself drifting between reality and dreams, Draco’s face a constant in both worlds.

 

               There was grass beneath his bare feet, soft and freshly cut. Above him clouds dotted the blue sky in puffy white shapes, the sun casting their shadows down upon Harry’s upturned face. A slight breeze brought a familiar sent and Harry turned to see Draco standing only a few feet away.

               “Reminds you of home doesn’t it?” Draco asked as he smiled.

               “But how?” Harry reached for the blond and was relieved to feel solid skin beneath his fingers.

               “This is my goodbye Harry. I wanted it to be where we were both our happiest.” Harry grabbed onto Draco’s arm before pulling the other man into his embrace. He tried to keep his tears from falling but he could feel the soft fabric of Draco’s shirt was damp beneath his cheek.

               “No you can’t go.”

               “It’s too late for me Harry. Tell Hermione that I love her and Fen and that I will look out for them. I’ll always be here,” Draco placed his hand over Harry’s heart. “And here,” he placed a kiss on Harry’s forehead. “Let me live on in your memories for no one can take those from you.” Harry tried to keep a hold of Draco, but he could feel the edges of the dream fading into reality.

               “We’ll meet again,” Harry promised. Draco’s smile was the last thing he saw before he woke. Harry knew without opening his eyes that it was daylight and that the man in his arms was gone. He waited almost half an hour before he cracked open an eye. The sun was blindingly bright but once his eyes adjusted he could see Draco with perfect clarity. His eyes were shut as if he were merely sleeping, but there were no breaths, no rise and fall of his chest. It was the most peaceful that Harry had seen him since they left home.

               “Rest brother,” Harry murmured against Draco’s head. He reached beneath Draco’s white undershirt and retrieved his dog tags before wrapping him in his jacket. True to his word he would not release him until the sharks were gone. A glance over the side of the raft revealed that at some point during the night their ever present company had departed. Harry wanted to laugh if only to stop from crying. He placed a kiss on Draco’s forehead just as the blond had done to him in his dreams.

               “This is not good bye,” Harry spoke as he lifted Draco toward the edge of the raft. “For we shall meet again. May you find peace in the embrace of the depths.” He held onto Draco for as long as he could before the blond slipped from his embrace and sunk beneath the gentle waves.

 

               A soft rumble in the distance brought Harry out of his stupor. A day had passed since Draco’s death and all he had done was lay in the bottom of the raft in the shallow water that had collected there. He struggled to sit up against the side and search the sky. He could not believe that the tiny black speck could be a search plane, but the closer it came to his position there was no mistaking the model of the plane. Harry’s eyes teared up at the sight as the plane flew close enough that the pilot could acknowledge him. He was going home. After almost twenty days at sea he was finally going home. Draco’s dog tags felt heavy against his chest when he realized how close they both had been to surviving.   It was a guilt he would have to live with for the rest of his life.

 

              

               He did not remember their drive being this long, but Harry was thankful for the extra time to compose himself. He was dressed in his uniform, a flag in his right hand and Draco’s dog tags in his left. Ron was originally going to present the items to Hermione, but Harry insisted he do it and Ron did not have the heart to argue. They shared the grief of a friend turned brother and that was enough.

               As the car pulled to a stop near the front door of the house Harry had helped Draco build, Hermione was already standing in the door, Fen held tightly in her arms. Tear tracks were visible on her cheeks but Fen was too young to understand what Harry’s presence meant.

               “Oh god,” Hermione whispered as Harry approached. While both he and Draco had been listed as lost at sea, there was always hope of them returning. Harry standing at her door without her husband could mean only one thing. He presented her with his dog tags and the flag before pulling her and Fen into his embrace.

               “He loved you so very much Hermione, never forget that. He’s at peace now and his memory will live on in us.” Hermione cried silently against his chest. Fen sensing his mother’s anguish finally started to cry, his cheeks turning a rosy colour in the morning sun. Harry took a hold of the young boy and kissed the top of his blond hair, the exact same colour as Draco’s. He would look after this family that had become his and they would live so that Draco would not be forgotten.


End file.
